SERENADE2SENIORS – Sharpening our memories

SERENADE2SENIORS

Sharpening our memories

SUDOKU

As you might know, I am a blogging grandma and like most of the other seniors around me, I tend to forget things as well as lose or mislay at least one item a day, which usually turns up in the most surprising of places. The following anonymous words that I found at the bottom of an article I’d read, got me thinking:

Forgetting where you parked your car, can happen to anyone. But, forgetting what your car looks like, may be cause for concern!

So, I started collecting tips for sharpening my memory and this is what I came up with:-

I try to recall the location of as many objects in my house as I possibly can as well as where they are located.

I endeavor to learn something new every day if possible but concentrate while doing so.

I make a point of trying to remember people’s names after the first introduction and avoid distractions while thinking about them.

I make an effort NOT TO MULTI-TASK which is something women do far more than men but I have to admit that here, I fail dismally as I am always in a hurry. Why? I suppose because I always plan to do so much.

I packed away my calculator and removed the calculator on my smartphone in order to use my head. I knew that I was capable of doing so but using new mod cons seemed easier.

I saw so many people doing SUDOKU but I never got very far with them. So, I chose to do CROSSWORD PUZZLES instead.

I make sure that I have sufficient sleep. For someone who is unable to do so, napping during the day might be helpful.

I eat healthy food as far as  possible but, of course I binge occasionally. On what? On white chocolate of course.

I endeavor to take a short walk at least every second day too.

Some of these points might be well-worth trying.

                                                                                                           

 

I only have a picture now …

 

 

 

 

 

D

O

R

O

N

I only.have a picture now

A frozen piece of time

To remind me how it was

When you were here and fine.

I see your smiling eyes

Each morning when I wake.

I talk to you and place a kiss

Upon your handsome face.

How much I miss your being here

I really cannot say.

The ache is deep inside my heart

And never goes away.

 

Mental Health Triggers …. Speak Out

It is difficult for an outsider to understand the situations that act as triggers and so affect mentally challenged people as they might not understand what a trigger is.  Most of us are affected by some sort of trigger; the elements of daily life that bring out intense emotions can also lead to dangerous situations. Not only people with mental illnesses experience this kind of thing.

The question is; how does one push aside the mental health triggers that haunt their every move? The answer depends on their personal struggle. For a person struggling with an eating disorder, the mere sight of food  or the addition of an extra kilo on the scale, can act as a trigger. For a person addicted to ‘self-harm,’ the sight of a sharp object  can trigger their  urge to self-injure.

If a therapist is able to replace those triggers with a positive diversion, the possibility of moving on is more likely.  Writing, music or being surrounded by supportive people, are positive replacements.

The saying ‘Every cloud has a silver lining,’ – is welll known, so how about changing that to:  Every silver lining has a small cloud ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes what we care about most, gets all used up and goes away, never to return …

 

SERENADE2SENIORS

She grew up with practical parents. Her mother washed aluminum foil after use. She was the original recycle queen before there was a name for it. And her father was happier getting old shoes repaired than buying new ones. Their marriage was a good one, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a street away.

Their daughter and I were good friends and I can see them now … her Dad wearing jeans, a tee shirt and a floppy hat. Her mom usually wearing a house dress, dish-towel in one hand and a duster in the other. They loved repairing things. He fiddled with the kitchen radio, the screen door and even curtain rods.

This was their way of life and I found all that fixing, renewing and saving, strange. My parents were so different. My friend once told me that she wanted to be wasteful once, only one time, but to her parents, wasteful meant affluence, and that throwing things out meant that there’d always be more.

Then, my friend’s mother died and on that clear summer night, in the sterile hospital room, both my friend and I realized that sometimes, there simply isn’t ‘any more.’

Sometimes, what we care about most, gets all used up and goes away, never to return.

SO, while we have them, it’s best that we love and care for them, repair what’s broken, and – heal when when someone is ill.

This is true of marriage and of old cars, of children who bring home bad report cards, of dogs with bad hips as well as of aging parents and grandparents. We cherish them all because they are worth it.

Some things are best kept, like … a best  friend who moved away or a classmate we grew up with.

There are things and people who make life worthwhile, like people we know who are special, and so, we keep them close.

Young love is about striving to be happy. Love between seniors is about striving to mae someone else happy

It’s never too late to fall in love.

Most of us have preconceived notions about seniors and romance. Younger people find the idea of seniors dating rather hard to accept. A misconception shared by many about older people is that they are far too old to date. But everyone, regardless of age, should be able to date, to find love and even live a richly rewarding romantic life.

 One of the biggest obstacles facing many seniors who are interested in finding partners are their children. Some are wary of anyone else trying to take the place of a deceased or divorced mom or dad but in time, they usually come around and accept the new situation.

During ones golden years, having a shared interest with someone is important when it comes to the potential for romance and a more serious relationship. Senior dating is as much about companionship as it is about anything else and discovering someone with compatible interests will be a serious component of finding a fulfilling relationship.

The symptoms are familiar – a pull in the stomach accompanied by tingling and fluttering; a longing to meet, to touch, to hold as well as a longing when not together. But these couples are neither 25 nor 40. He was nearing 80, she, a couple of years younger. Falling in love is usually associated with the thunder of hormones in youth.

By this time, the female partner had crow’s feet around her eyes as well as extra padding around her waist. But, she was no longer a teenager so how could she feel like a one; as though a bolt of lightning had struck? How could this occur at such a ripe old age? What will her children and grandchildren say?  Actually, her children wondered whether their parent had lost it?’ 

But what had actually occurred was that longevity had opened up a new culture of romantic adventures.

From the sublime to the ridiculous

SERENADE 2 SENIORS

Now that I am a blogger and supposedly computer literate,  a blogging grandma, I think it’s only fair to share the following with you. I do not have an easy time. There are nights when I am up till 2 or 3 am fighting with my computer while trying to get an image to settle down on my blog and stop hopping about.  The neighbors in our building help me with pleasure but even they are getting a bit worn out. A kid on the third floor came to help one afternoon, sat down at my desk, tapped a few keys on my laptop, and after a few seconds got up and started edging toward my front door. ‘Where are you going and what seems  to be my computer problem?’ I asked. He blushed saying; ‘Well Jill, it is an i d 10 t problem.’ ‘What’s that?’ I asked innocently. ‘Well, take a pen and write down what I said.’ And with that, he fled. I took a pen and wrote exactly what I had heard him say:  I D 10 T. So that was what he thought of me. IDIOT. Oh well, I wouldn’t call him again. Computers are easy for those born in today’s hi tech generation but not for people born when I arrived in the world. I think I have come a long way, but it’s all relative now, isn’t it?

In my day …

Memory was something that some older people lost with age.                                      

An application meant a job interview.

A program was a radio show.

A ‘cursor’ was someone who used profane language. (curser)

A keyboard belonged to a piano.

A web was a spider’s home, if I am not mistaken.

A virus meant you needed a doctor.

A hard drive was a long road trip.

A mouse pad was a mouse’s home.   

AND, IF a male had a three and a half inch floppy, he made sure that nobody discovered his secret!

                                                                                    

Are you complaining again?

SERENADE 2 SENIORS

Before you utter an unkind word, think of people who are unable to speak.

Before you complain about the tasteless food, think of the hungry people out there.

Before you complain about your wife or husband, think of a person who is desperate to find a companion.

Before you complain about your life, think of someone who died too young.

Before you complain about your children, think of all the childless couples unable to conceive.

When you next complain about your job think of all the unemployed, the disabled, and the hordes of people who wish they had your job.

When depressing thoughts get you down, stick a smile on your face and be happy that you are alive.

 

Why G-d made Grandmas …..

SERENADE 2 SENIORS

 

 I like to walk with Grandma

Her steps are short like mine.

She never says; ‘Now hurry up,’

She always takes her time.

 

I like to walk with Grandma

She sees things like I do

Pebbles smooth, a funny cloud

Half-hidden drops of dew.

 

Most people like to hurry

They do not stop to see

I’m glad that God made Grandma

Unrushed, and young like me!

Whenever I read this ‘jingle’ out loud to my young grandchildren, they ask ; ‘Are all those words why G-d made grandmas?’